Fans pose by a giant football in New Orleans, site of the NFL’s Super Bowl. (AP)

New Orleans — I don’t want to say I arrived here early for Super Bowl XLVII but the Ravens are still in Baltimore.

With a rare hour to kill here and there, I’ve been able to taste some of the local fare. Specifically, I had two cups of gumbo at Mulate’s for lunch yesterday and an order of beignets and chickory coffee for breakfast today.

The guy at the hotel front desk told me Mulate’s wasn’t any good but the place he recommended instead was closed. I disagree with the guy at the front desk. Mulate’s was good. I couldn’t make up my mind between gumbo choices so I had cups of both the Zydeco (sausage, chicken, shrimp) and the seafood (seafood).

INDIANAPOLIS — Finally, I found him. A person qualified to critique NFL quarterback play who thinks Tim Tebow has what it takes to become a bona fide NFL quarterback.

“Tim Tebow has got what I can’t teach: A winner and leader,” said former NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst Sean Salisbury. “We’ve got enough buttheads in this league who don’t know how to grab somebody by the throat and tell him to play. This kid does.

“Now, his mechanics are awful. Whoever taught him to yank his (front) arm through — I know it wasn’t Denver — did him a great disservice. It’s like trying to swim upstream. But I can promise you this: Give me four months with that kid and he’ll complete 60 percent of his passes next year. Because he wants to work. He’s one of those guys who stays the course.”

Nicki Jhabvala is a Broncos beat writer for The Denver Post. She was previously the digital news editor for sports. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor. She also spent two years as a home page editor at the New York Times.